Goodness gracious, what a game Sunday. The Packers were dead-to-rights. Lifeless. Checked out.

Then, they weren't. Behind Jordan Love and his fourth-quarter groove, alongside the defense we need the defense to be, the Packers capped off team-record 17-point fourth-quarter comeback en route to an 18-17 victory and 2-1 record. And with that comes... a very short week and the divisional favorite Detroit Lions coming to Lambeau Thursday night with already a lot to play for.

So, now let's raise the Packers Periscope and look at the past, present and future of this historic Norris Division rivalry.

The Past

Thursday's matchup will be number 188 in the all-time series, with the Packers holding a 105-75-7 edge. However, recent history has gone the way of the Honolulu Blue and Silver with the Lions taking the past three, including last year's season finale in which the Lions entered Lambeau with nothing to play for but pride (pun intended) and dashed the Packers' playoff chances and ended Aaron Rodgers's Packers career. But this is a Packers website! We're not going to revisit a gut-punch of a game while getting ready to rock for the next matchup, especially still riding the high from Sunday's big win.

The date was December 31, 1994. The 9-7 Detroit Lions visited Lambeau Field to take on Brett Favre and the likewise 9-7 Packers. Now, this was a time when there were only three divisions - Central, West and East. Which means of the six playoff teams, only three were division winners. In 1994, all four of the current NFC North teams made the playoffs -- the two NFC Wild Card matchups that year were Lions vs. Packers and Bears at  the Division Champion Vikings.

Led by quarterback Dave Krieg and Hall of Famer Barry Sanders, the Lions were looking to slay a dragon that was Lambeau Field. There hadn't been much success there of late, with the Packers turning into a legitimate contender and to make a playoff run. Sanders was obviously the key, and had some interesting splits against Green Bay that year. In his first matchup, which was at Lambeau, Sanders rushed for only 47 yards on 15 carries. But at the Pontiac Silverdome weeks later, he went ballistic for 188 yards on 20 carries. So, safe to say the Packers were pretty focused on No. 20 given his huge game earlier that season.

The Wild Card matchup between the two was a defensive struggle, with both offenses struggling in the Wisconsin cold. The Packers opened the scoring with a Dorsey Levens touchdown to open the scoring at 7-0. Chris Jacke nailed a 51-yarder to make it 10-0 at the half. In the third quarter, each team kicked field goals, with Jacke hitting from 32 and Lions kicker Jason Hanson from 38. The fourth would bring some fireworks, however. Down 13-3, the Lions and Krieg finally found the end zone on a 3-yard pass to tight end Brett Perriman. Another Jacke field goal pushed the lead back to 16-10 and the Lions weren't able to find paydirt again, save for the Packers taking a safety to end the game and a 16-12 final.

You might notice that there aren't and references to Barry Sanders above, and that's for good reason. In a historic dominant effort, the Packers held him to -1 rushing on the day. You read that right, younger fans who may not remember this game. The Green Bay Packers held Barry Sanders to NEGATIVE-ONE RUSHING YARDS. I'm no genius, but I'm pretty sure that's objectively backward.

SOAK IN the vintage NFL Primetime highlights below. Peak Boomer, peak music, peak 90s. It's a beautiful thing.

The Present

We all know what went down at Lambeau on Sunday. And again, it's a very short turnaround for a LOT of injured Packers. As Matt LaFleur loves to say, they'll get the week and see how they respond going into the game. As for our counterparts in the Motor City, the Lions come in likewise at 2-1 after a bit of a throttling at home against Atlanta. Quarterback Jared Goff played a very efficient game as he's done a lot the last couple seasons with the Lions, going 22/33 for 243 yards, one touchdown, one pick. But that was in the friendly confines of Ford Field, where Goff has played very well. Outside, though, he's struggled a bit more and we'll see what Packers defense shows up against him this week.

Offensively, the Lions have one of the better offensive lines in football when healthy (sound familiar?). But standout tackle Taylor Decker was sidelined Sunday and replaced with budding star Penei Sewell, who moved from his standard right tackle spot. Sewell's replacement, Matt Nelson, was carted off the field with an injury and replaced by John Skipper. So like the Packers, the offensive line shuffling will be something to keep an eye on. Also missing from the lineup is back David Montgomery, the tough-nosed runner who caused some major headaches while in Chicago. Replaced with him is rookie Jahmyr Gibbs, who saw an uptick in production with 17 carries for 80 yards and another 21 through the air. The Packer linebackers will need to bring a little extra speed with them Thursday to keep up with him. And let's not forget about stud receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. He'll certainly get his fair share of targets.

On the other side, the Lions defense is much improved from the group that was historically bad to start the 2022 season. Free agent signing CJ Gardner-Johnson is out for most of the season with a torn pectoral, but his replacement, rookie Brian Branch has played very well and looks to be in that spot for the long haul. Rookie linebacker Jack Campbell has also lived up to his first-round billing, and up front Aidan Hutchinson remains a force. At every level, the Lions have playmakers and will prove a very tough test for Jordan Love.

The Future

Thursday Night Football, 7:15 local time, Lambeau Field. Given the standings with both Minnesota and Chicago going winless, it looks like the North will be a two horse race. Home field advantage - especially against the Lions - hasn't exactly been the Packers calling card in big games the last few seasons. While they've generally held serve at home, teams like the Lions, who play with a particularly physical style, have been Green Bay's kryptonite. In order to take back the division, they'll need to match the Lions' intensity and physicality. They certainly met the Saints' level when it counted, but they'll undoubtedly need to get off to a faster start. As Dan Campbell mentioned last season, they think they can drag the Packers out to the deep water and let them drown. It's up to the players to ensure that doesn't happen.

At the time of writing this, the spread is Lions -1.5. It's damn near a pickem, but Vegas thinks the Lions are about a field goal better. Given Detroit's three-game winning streak and solid start to the year, it's easy to understand why. Another undermanned team will certainly struggle this week, so here's to hoping the Packers get some of their studs back. But either way, this would be one of the tougher tests for the Packers to start the year, and bringing extra intensity will be integral. Luckily, we don't have to wait very long to get there.